Here’s an excerpt from the book ‘Leadership Presence’ by Kathy Lubar and Belle Linda Halpern:

“At a meeting where Kathy Lubar (Co-founder of The Ariel Group), once attended in Boston, where the audience was at least 75 percent Republican, the first speaker was a leading Democrat, (the late) Senator Edward Kennedy.

I looked around the room as Kennedy began speaking, and the expression on most of the faces seemed to say, “Oh God, do I have to listen to him one more time?” But Kennedy started his speech with a story and immediately you could feel the energy in the room change. For twenty minutes he told story after story, each with a clear point. He had the audience laughing and rapt at the same time. At the end he received an enthusiastic ovation and left the audience excited and energized. The next speaker was a Republican congressman who opened his talk with a graph and proceeded to show one chart after another and spoke of nothing bur dry facts and figures. After a few minutes of that, many attendees began reading their manuals and others went looking for coffee. Some even did the dreaded F-to-F (forehead to Formica). Only a few-clearly diehard Republicans visibly tried to pay attention. The energy and enthusiasm in the room had completely evaporated.”

This was the moment when Kathy realized the power of storytelling.

You may have heard it said that one of the most important jobs of a leader is to create new leaders. This is often best done through coaching to prepare emerging leaders to transition from individual contributors to figures of authority. There is much that can be done to move these employees from focusing on their tasks to taking a step back and adopting a big picture view. They can be coached to switch with ease from a visionary role to leading from the front as captains, as well as guiding team members as a coach or leading from behind as their cheerleader.

The statistics speak for themselves:

71% of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs. The reason is simple. In 2016, The Centre for Workplace Leadership found that investing in leadership capability pays off in performance, productivity and innovation. Britain’s first online gateway for businesses looking for mentoring, mentorsme, reports that 67% of businesses reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring.

Here are seven secrets of being an effective mentor, as outlined by Tony Dungy, the highly respected retired coach of the Indianapolis Colts:

The Seven E’s of Effective Mentoring

1. Engage – Mentoring will not work without engagement. An open-door policy signals to the mentee that you are there for them whenever necessary. Any opportunity to spend time in the world of your mentee also shows that you care.

2. Educate – Education is a critical component of effective mentorship. Helping, guiding and teaching comprise the foundation upon which people can shine.

3. Equip – Along with education, equipping mentees is essential to helping them excel and reach their highest potential.

4. Encourage – A little encouragement goes a long way to keep those being mentored motivated to overcome any obstacles that may arise on their leadership journey. 

5. Empower – There is power in learning by doing. Giving people the freedom to implement in their jobs what they are learning is an important step in the mentoring process.

6. Energize – The energy leaders bring to mentoring can inspire those they are mentoring, propelling them along the path to success.

7. Elevate – It’s all about the person who is being mentored. When a leader puts their ego aside to focus selflessly on a mentee’s goals, the results can be incredible. 

 “Who you are being when you are saying what you are saying, says more about what you are saying, than what you are saying.” 

Mike Lipkin

Consider your credibility

BS is unlikely to earn you the trust of your direct reports. They’ll see through you time and time again. You may get compliance, after all you’re the boss. Which do you prefer, compliance or engagement?

To have engaged team members who are motivated to achieve great things, it is important to know what you stand for and have an unmistakable sense of purpose. It is equally important to establish common ground and demonstrate that you are concerned about your team’s best interests. 

Analyze your relationships

Every leader has several layers of connection throughout the organization. How you are perceived by those senior to you, your lateral peers and junior colleagues may vary. When you are preparing to bring people along on your legacy-building journey, a great starting point is to get clarity on how people feel about you. You can’t develop talent in a vacuum. Here are some key relationships to consider:

• Relationship Navigators – the people you want to get to know because of their role in the company’s operations
• Relationship Warriors – the allies who think strategically and make you aware, or remind you, of the landmines and pitfalls along the way
• Stakeholders – Those invested in your organization’s success and therefore are interested in supporting you in reaching the next chapter for what you bring to the table – mentors who are guiding you through your next chapter 
• Leadership Pipeline – the people you coach and mentor who become part of your succession plan

When you move from one position to another in your organization, how will you be remembered by the team you may be leaving? What will your legacy be?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines legacy as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past”. It is never too early to start considering the kind of legacy you want to leave. 

According to the Harvard Business Review, most research on power suggests that the sensation of power tends to make people more self-focused and self-interested. In contrast, building a people-centered legacy involves showing a genuine interest in helping those who have untapped potential.

Defining the Concept of Bringing Others Along 

The act/ART of developing talent is a legacy-building skill that is worth cultivating. This skill is instrumental in helping emerging executives to SHOW UP as the leaders they are on track to be.

How developing people relates to legacy building

Being remembered for mentoring talented colleagues is a positive legacy to leave.  When these new leaders use their unique gifts to drive the company’s success for years to come, your contribution lives on.

Beyond the legacy you leave, when you focus on raising people up, you’re likely to realize that it’s not about the accolades. There’s no substitute for the deep satisfaction of knowing that your journey was truly worth it. The value of your experience and skills is seen in the ways in which you develop people to help both the organization and employees maximize their potential. This becomes even more significant when there are talented individuals within the company who feel that they have no voice and lack empowerment. You can be their vehicle for real engagement and input as you bring them along on your journey to the top.

Your impact on others in your company is an important element in legacy-building. Have you designed a succession model? Are you constructing its foundation bit by bit? Your legacy won’t take shape overnight. It is crafted by the daily actions you take to help your team prosper without you in the future.